Céline Dion sings in first public appearance in three years amid stiff-person syndrome diagnosis
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Brian Rasic/WireImage/ Gotham/GC Images
Céline Dion delighted her fans as she sang during a hockey game despite her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis.
This marks the Canadian singer's first public appearance made in three and a half years.
Dion, 55, stepped out for a hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Vegas Golden Knights, showing her resilience despite her diagnosis.
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Chantal Machabée, a rep for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team spoke to People and insisted this was a 'very good day.'
“She's been through a lot, and to see her like this and smiling and being so happy...it's amazing," Machabée said.
"I know she has good days and not so good days, but this was a very good day, and it was reassuring."
Machabée added the Canadian icon was laughing and talking during the outing and showcasing she was ‘an amazing woman’.
Dion shared a video in December 2022 announcing she was now suffering from the incurable neurological disease.
“Hello everyone, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and can't wait to be on stage talking to you in person,” she said in the Instagram video.
"As you know I've always been an open book and I wasn't ready to say anything before but I'm ready now.
"I've been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and its been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I've been going through.
"Recently I've been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff-person syndrome which affects one in a million people.
"While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what's been causing all the spasms I've been having."
Dion also addressed whether she would continue singing on tour as the disease impacts her vocal cords.
She continued: "Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to.
"It hurts me to tell you today that this means I won't be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.
"I have a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better and my precious children who are supporting me and giving me help."
SPS is a progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord, and symptoms include extreme muscle stiffness, rigidity and painful spasms in the trunk and limbs, severely impairing mobility, according to the Genetic and Rare Disease Information Center.